104g Program

USGS Water Resources Notice of Funding Opportunity Announced 

The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) facilitates three Request for Proposals through the Water Resources Research Act Program Competitive Grants Program by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the National Institutes for Water Resources. 

The FY2026 104g General Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is open with a submission deadline of November 12, 2026, 5 p.m. ET. Per USGS’ guidelines, all applications to any of these programs must be submitted through Texas A&M AgriLife Research’s Texas Water Resources Institute (Giovanni Piccinni listed as PI). Please coordinate with your sponsored research office right away if you are interested in submitting as internal requirement deadlines will fall before the actual submission date. Subawards to Texas A&M AgriLife Research must submit their full packages with the signed subaward commitment form by November 3, 2026, to TWRI_Proposals@ag.tamu.edu. Additional details are further below.

Eligibility: Any investigator at an institution of higher education whose work addresses water-related research needs of regional and national significance is eligible to apply.

A notice of intent form is required by October 14, 2026, if you plan to apply so we know how many proposals to anticipate. At the same time, please reach out to your sponsored research office proposal administrator to get logged and start the proposal processes. Proposals that are not preceded by an on-time notice of intent form may not be able to be accepted due to the short turnaround time.

New requirements:

• All federal budget requests must include a TBD TWRI Project Manager at $3,500 (salary+fringe total) per year for managing the project as the lead, completing & submitting reporting and other coordination with the PI and USGS should the project be awarded. TWRI will also provide the corresponding 1:1 cost share required that corresponds with the amount of TWRI Project Manager time budgeted.
• Project Abstract Summary (OMB 4040-0019) is a new required document.

Only proposals submitted through Texas A&M AgriLife Research -TWRI with Dr. Giovanni Piccinni listed as PI can be transmitted to the National Grants Competition Proposal per USGS’ requirements. 

Please see the links to each funding opportunity below as well as specific notes further down on this page regarding processes for those submitting within and outside of Texas A&M University.

The two programs for FY2026 are below.

• 104g General National Competitive Grants Program, G27AS00164
  • Research Priority
    • Address challenges of rapid expansion of data centers and other water intensive industries that rely on public supply systems by advancing observational and analytical approaches capable of reducing uncertainty and strengthening confidence in publicly available information.
  • Up to $120,000 per award, 4 awards anticipated
• Per-And Polyflouroalkyl (PFAS) Substances Competitive Grants Program, NOFO has not yet been released but is to be announced with a separate 2026 deadline.
  • Research Priorities:
    • TBA

Proposals may be for projects of 1 to 3 years in duration and require a 1:1 match. Please closely read through and adhere to the NOFO requirements. Ensure that:

• Final proposal budgets are in the USGS budget template (budget instructions)
• Budget justifications are detailed and complete (Good example from USGS and bad example)
• Project Abstract Summary in plain language: Award purpose, activities to be performed, expected deliverables or outcomes and intended beneficiaries.
• PI Biographical Sketch and Current & Pending in Common Form (PI being the lead researcher developing and submitting the proposal)

Additional important information about research priorities, proposal content, required components, format and review process are available in the NOFO.

Projects will only be awarded if funds are appropriated to the USGS to support the program.

NOTE for TAMU (on-campus), TEES and AgriLife PIs/Co-PIs: For those submitting proposals within Texas A&M University, considered “on-campus,” Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, etc., please reach out to your Sponsored Research Services (SRS) proposal administrator right away with your basic proposal information. We encourage you to work with your proposal administrator on budgeting appropriately in the SRS template prior to completing the USGS-required budget. Per USGS requirements, all proposals submitted will have the TWRI Director (Giovanni Piccinni) listed as the lead PI (facilitated); the research/proposal PI will be listed as a Co-PI along with any other Co-PIs. The proposal package will route accordingly for approvals through maestro prior to being submitted to USGS.

If your proposal budget includes subawards to external partners (outside of “on-campus” Texas A&M), let your SRS proposal administrator know ASAP as several additional documents will be required. Each subrecipient’s organization must complete a subaward commitment form and provide a detailed budget, budget justification, scope of work, and a letter of commitment for any required cost share.

EXTERNAL/SUBAWARDS to Texas A&M AgriLife Research: If you will be a subaward to AgriLife Research, please work with your university’s sponsored program office to ensure routing/approvals are obtained prior to submission to TWRI. In addition, we will need a completed, signed subaward commitment form from your organization along with your submission package unless your organization is part of the FDP, then provide the link to that information instead.

Please send your complete final submission package and subaward commitment form signed by your officials to TWRI_Proposals@ag.tamu.edu by November 3, 2026. We are anticipating a large response, and we must still route your packages through our internal routing processes before they can be uploaded and submitted to USGS.

Questions about this program can be directed to Danielle Kalisek at Danielle.Kalisek@ag.tamu.edu.